


Sveith fic

by lion_time



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Author does not have an extensive knowledge on uni life sorry, Author is British and uses British terminology, Characters may be OOC at times because this is a uni and not a space mission, Fanart Included, Keith is Sleep Deprived, M/M, Rated Teen because Keith says Fuck, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, add more tags as i go along, but i try to keep their general vibe, it's a package deal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29090631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lion_time/pseuds/lion_time
Summary: Once  upon a time, an Author had such a great craving for Sveith that they hyperfixiated on a fic that would temporarily cure said craving. It would be packed full of said author's favourite tropes.(Un)fortunately, one of said tropes is slowburn.Slowburn Strangers to Friends to Lovers University AU Sveith fic, with a tint of Coffee Shop AU. Take it or leave it.
Relationships: Keith/Sven (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Sveith fic

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this is the first fic I've ever written of this type, so it may be scruffy and poorly paced.
> 
> NO BETA WE DIE LIKE MEN
> 
> (I do use British terminology for this, so if you don't understand a word, just look it up.)

8:51am. On a fucking Monday.

Keith was barely ever groggy at the thought of attending a lecture. 

However, waking up at the ass crack of dawn to wearily trudge across half the campus wasn’t particularly ideal. Having to lug three, maybe four heavy books back and forth _definitely isn’t ideal._

But with the alternative being skipping the lecture to laze around, he swiftly came to the decision that he’d better get up. _Quick._

He left the cosy comforts of the soft, warm bed only to be onset by dizziness as his head started pounding, and being rushed by what felt like a snowstorm of morning chill. With only a few minutes on the clock, he turned to his wardrobe, quickly gathering his regular attire, consisting of a white shirt, grey trousers and a navy jumper, along with a pair of white socks. Knowing his hair was looking like a rat’s nest, he had the consideration to at least put it in a ponytail.

He scanned the room for his rucksack only to spot it in the corner, already loaded up with the necessary books.

‘ _At least Keith three hours ago had some foresight_ ’ he mumbled to himself as he bit into a half-eaten slice of toast and sipped at the miniscule amount of coffee that had been left over from said early morning study session.

Last of all, he slipped on his black trainers and hurried out into the wilderness of the dorm hall.

He wasn’t going to acknowledge the 5 empty bottles littered across the floor. Or the half-eaten bag of doritos. Or the rampant smell of cheap, crappy pizza throughout the air. He didn’t have time to, not like he wanted to, anyway. 

He almost tripped on his shoelace dashing down the stairs. Guess when you’re hurrying to class you have to live life on the edge.

After thirty seconds straight of sprinting, he was already worn out, what little energy he had, drained. He had seven minutes to complete a ten minute walk.

This was going to be a long morning.

===

After multiple near collisions with many passers-by, he finally reached his destination, the lecture hall.

He burst into the room, gasping for breath from his mad dash over to the building. His eyes darted to the clock.

_8:59. Not a minute too soon._

The lecture hall itself was what could only be described as ‘semi modern.’ It contained walls consisting of smooth white and grey panels with stretches of wood in places. At certain points on the walls there were hanging plants. Keith wasn’t entirely sure who decided to place them on the wall instead of on the floor, as it must be tedious to properly care for them.

This is one of his more preferred lecture halls, purely due to the fact that each chair was independent, instead of conjoined like a long sofa like in other rooms. Each person knew where to sit, and there was no sense of awkwardness from being squished next to some equally uncomfortable student.

He spotted a seat in a place to his liking, and settled his bag down, retrieving his laptop and prepping it for the session, as the professor hushed the ongoing murmurs and conversations, and the lecture began.

===

The lecture was now over, having covered some historiography 

To be specific, the Tudor dynasty and the effects of their perspective and of historians at the time had on the descriptions of previous rulers, such examples being.. Well.. I won’t bore you with the details.

Current time: 10:36am. 

But sitting around for an hour and a half doing nothing but tapping away at your computer isn’t great for keeping you awake. Keith ended up biting the inside of his cheek a time or 6 to prevent himself from dozing off. And now, a certain craving was kicking in..

On campus, there’s a shop. It’s popular among the hordes of sleep deprived students needing an entire brain reboot, or just for people looking for a warm drink and a cookie. Well, everyone enjoys it, really.

It’s called ‘Campus Coffee Shop’. Not very original, but they’re here to learn, not name things, so whatever.

Thankfully, it was only a short walk from the lecture hall to the coffee shop. There was a bit more spring in his step at the anticipation of his prolonged salvation. Well, as much spring as a drowsy sleep deprived person can get.

He knew the path pretty well by now. This was a recurring habit of his. Get a topic, get books from the library, proceed to spend hours upon hours independently studying, then crash out at the coffee shop. Then repeat til you pass out or your friends force you to sleep.

It’s a Monday, he should be allowed to treat himself to _something_ for surviving the past week.

He listened to the soft crunch of leaves under his feet. Autumn was setting in. Finally, the sun’s scorching reign of terror would end, and make way for crunchy leaf piles, grey skies and his neighbour’s never ending serenade for pumpkin spiced lattes.

His train of thought ended when he finally reached his destination. Thoughts about autumn were exchanged for thoughts about opening doors as he pushed his way into the shop.

Immediately he is hit by the decadent yet strong scent of coffee. He allows himself to get lost in its delectable aroma for a few seconds before taking in the sights.

Like the lecture hall, it’s a mix of modern and wood. Unlike the lecture hall, _it has plants in reasonable places_ , having them on counters and shelves instead of the bollocks ‘5 metres in the air’ placement.

The shop itself is neither big nor small. The serving counter is at the back, with the rest of the space occupied by tables and chairs. Around the edges were some counters with bar stools. It was nothing fancy, it’s a coffee shop on a uni budget, for crying out loud.

But it had a sense of familiarity and comfort, plus it’s the quickest and cheapest way to get a quick cuppa.

As much as he despises it, the early Monday class was good in the sense that it ended after the rush hour, and so he’d get to enjoy his drink in peace, instead of fighting for a seat and having to listen to the general conversation of _way too many people_.

He makes his way to the counter, the waft of coffee only getting stronger as he approaches the main coffee hub.

Manning the station is a tall, dark-haired man with a mostly neutral expression. His hair was not too dissimilar to Keith’s, except a tad shorter and more in line. He wore the standard uniform of a white shirt, beige apron with a stain here and there, and grey pants. In fact, in some ways the man kind of looked like he was looking into a mirror of himself, just with some alterations here and there.

‘May I take your order?’

The man’s accent was foreign, but clear. Scandinavian. Keith took little note of it. There were plenty of students studying abroad, so it wasn’t a sight to behold. Good on him for coming here.

‘Uhm. An expresso. Medium, please.’

‘Anything else?’

He looked up. The barista gestures to the left, where there’s a display case of general baked goods. Keith spends a few seconds scanning the case, before returning to the awaiting barista.

‘Lemon and poppyseed muffin, please.’ 

Might as well get something solid to fill the pit in his stomach.

‘Eating in?’

‘Mhm.’

‘Got a reusable cup?’

Keith rummaged through his bag, before feeling a familiar shape and handing it over. It took 10p off the total charge, and knowing how much he relies on the stuff, it’s an investment he’s made back multiple times by now.

‘Coming right up’ the barista responds. His expression never changed from the neutral look throughout the entire exchange. Never hostile or spiteful, but not really cheery and enthusiastic. Then again, Keith was just another customer, and the dude had probably been dulled by the exhausting morning rush.

As Keith paid, the barista fiddled with one of the machines for a few seconds, then moved over to the display case to start the other part of the order. In just over a minute, Keith had a steaming hot cup and a muffin on a plate before him. He mumbled a short thanks, taking his order to one of the tables and settling down.

On first sip the espresso burnt his tongue a bit, but it was a small price to pay. Within minutes, his eyes widened, his limbs loosened and his heart started beating harder. Quickly and eagerly gulping the rest down, before moving on to his muffin.

Coffee. Blood of the Gods. Never fails to get him back up and running. Where would he be without it?

Some failing, half dead mess, he presumed, quietly sending praise to whomever first decided to throw some beans in a pot and boil them.

Having finished his meal, he took the empty plate back up to the serving counter and departed from the shop. By now a little drizzle had started outside, prompting Keith to note where places of shelter were in case it got heavy.

From there he started heading to the library, to study up on some discussed concepts and prepare for any possible upcoming essays. Better safe than sorry.

===

The library was in the middle of the path from Keith’s dorm to the lecture hall. It was fairly old, being built out of red brick with various norman windows placed around. The inside was old fashioned too, with wooden floors, tables, chairs, and of course hundreds of wooden bookcases holding books by the dozen. 

There were modern aspects, however. Around the back there were computers. A lot of the study desks had charging ports for laptops or phones, and the whole place was lit by wall lamps or inbuilt lights in the ceiling. 

Keith looked around, found a few relevant books, and set up shop for an in depth study session.

-

A few hours into his study session, he suddenly got a phone call, breaking the book centric immersion he was in. Checking the number, he put the book down and speed walked out of the library to take it.

‘Hello?’

‘ _Hey, Keith!’_ The familiar voice sang.

It was Keith’s good friend and neighbour, Hunk. A familiar face and smile only a few doors down from his own dwelling.

Hunk himself was a dark, muscular man that was known for being a tank on the uni rugby team. Though he could be a bit of a hothead at times, he had a softer side to him, being great and affectionate with children. He was currently taking a degree in education and child development.

A great juxtaposition, but an even greater friend.

‘Oh hey, Hunk. How’s it going?’

‘ _Pretty good, Keithster! Pretty darn good.’_

‘So, what are you calling for? What’s going on?’

‘ _Just wanted to let cha know that me and Allura were planning on hanging out in our dorm. Wanted to check if you were up for coming along. That’s if you’re able to, of course._ ’

Keith checked his schedule. He’d already attended and noted today's lecture, and done a sufficient amount of studying. His next event was a seminar at 4. He could make room for some downtime.

‘Sounds cool. Does starting in half an hour or sooner work for you two?’

‘ _That’s fine for me. I’ll run it by Allura.’_

‘Cool. See you later?’

‘ _See you later. Bye!_ ’ 

With the call ended, Keith returned into the library, packing up his books, returning the ones he didn’t want to check out, double checking the due dates on the ones he had checked out and moving to the library counter to check out one he would like.

All in all, a pretty good Monday thus far.

===

He reached his dorm, this time taking time to enjoy the scenery on the way there. The hall of his door had been cleaned up, however the pizza scent lingered in the air, and there was a stray dorito laying neglected on the floor.

He turned the knob into his own room, at the end of the hall. His own little neat haven.

The door itself opened to the right corner of the room. In the back middle was a window, and under it a desk with a single book, a mug filled with pens and a lamp. On the right wall was a shelf with some more books, but this was more for books he was reading for his own personal enjoyment rather than study.

In the front left corner (to the left of the door) was his bed. It was in a scruffy state, as trying to make your bed while simultaneously racing against the clock isn’t the ideal for neatness and cleanliness.

Opposite the bed, to the left of the desk, in the left back corner was the wardrobe. Calling it a wardrobe made it seem a lot more grand, when in reality it was more of a small plastic closet that he got for around £20, but it serves its purpose fine.

He swiftly made his bed ( _properly_ this time), and having nothing much else to do, his mind started wandering, thinking about what he, Hunk and Allura could do, what would happen, what they’d do..

Allura herself was a pretty woman with golden hair and sapphire eyes. In the university, she was a business and finances major. She came from a well off family- scratch that, _very wealthy_ family.

When Keith and Hunk first found her she was shy, soft-spoken and naïve, having been sheltered by her guardians and had other people’s ideals forced on her for her whole life. Over time, she had become more spirited and outgoing, much to the distaste of said guardians.

Though still being naïve and assuming at times, she’s generally a friendly and charitable soul, always working to help the other two out of trouble, whether financial or other, they may find themselves in. 

She wasn’t in the same dorm as them, her own dorm was around a ten minute walk from theirs. Hence why she was coming to them instead of the other way around. Like she says; two dorms to muck around in is better than one.

He checked his phone for notifications and found a text from three minutes ago.

  
  


- **direct messages** -

**Hunk (12:46):**

Allura said yes!

**Hunk (12:46):**

She’s coming at 1:10pm

**Keith (12:49):**

Oh, nice!

**Keith (12:50):**

Any plans on what we’re going to do?

**Hunk (12:51):**

Idk, maybe get some lunch?

**Hunk (12:51):**

M famished.

**Keith (12:51):**

When are you not?

**Hunk (12:52):**

>:(

**Hunk (12:52):**

..you’re right

**Keith (12:54):**

Wait, why aren’t we using the group chat instead?

**Hunk (12:55):**

Feels more like a secret organisation in DMs

**Hunk (12:55):**

We could start an illegal crisp selling ring here

**Keith (12:56):**

Lmao who’d buy into that?

**Hunk (12:57):**

Lance, probably.

**Keith (12:57):**

Lance?

**Hunk (12:58);**

One of your direct neighbours

**Hunk (12:59):**

The one who goes on and on about pumpkin spice lattes

**Keith (13:00):**

OH THAT GUY

**Keith (13:00):**

I thought his name was Braxton or smthn

**Hunk (13:01):**

Braxton sounds like a kind of sausage

**Keith (13:01):**

Thinking of bratwurst?

**Hunk (13:02):**

THAT’S THE ONE

**Hunk (13:02):**

Sounds like some American knockoff bratwurst

**Keith (13:03):**

Maybe we can get some braxton when we go out

**Hunk (13:03):**

lol

**Hunk (13:05):**

But in all seriousness, when are you getting back?

**Keith (13:06):**

I’ve been in my dorm this entire time

  
  


===

Keith tapped his fingers on the desk, idly awaiting his friend’s response. 

Next thing he knew, he was being lifted off his chair and into the air.

‘Hey!’ Hunk exclaimed happily.

‘Oh, hey, again.’ Keith replied, ‘Ya mind putting me down?’

‘Sure. Just got a bit excited.’ Hunk apologised. ‘Anyways, we got less than 5 minutes to burn, what do you want to do?

‘Don’t know.’ He looked down at what he was wearing. ‘Maybe change into something more suitable for going out?’

‘Oh yeah, haha. I’ll leave you to do that.’

As the door slammed and clicked shut, Keith turned to his wardrobe, glancing upon his options while deciding what to wear. After maybe ten seconds he selects a simple white t-shit and a grey hoodie, and opted to keep his trousers and socks. 

Seconds after he changed, there was a rapping at his door.

‘Keith! Dunno if you’re done yet but Allura’s here!’ Hunk called out

Keith slipped his trainers back on and opened the door. By that point Hunk was starting to run down the stairs, and Keith opted to follow suit.

Lo and behold, when they came to the entrance, standing at the door to the dorm building was Allura. Completely soaked through with the rain torrents bellowing in the open space behind her.

‘Lovely weather we’re having’ She sarcastically remarked.

‘Forget to bring your brolly?’ Hunk asked

‘It’s called a freak shower for a reason. Materialises out of nowhere to cause pain then vanishes again.’ She grumbled in response

‘You alright? Need a change of clothes?’ Keith butted in

‘I’m fine. Luckily I’m wearing a waterproof coat and a hat, but a towel and maybe some new pants would be nice, thank you.’

‘Come on up to our hall and you could go in the bathroom while we wait for the rain to stop’ Keith suggested

‘Sounds like a better alternative to standing around twiddling our thumbs.’ Allura responded.

And so the three of them went upstairs. Fortunately the loo shared by half a dozen students was not occupied at the time.

‘Just chuck me a pair of trousers and I’ll figure out the rest.’ 

‘Aye aye’ Keith replied.

And so, after a few minutes, Allura came out, now not nearly as drenched as before, and wearing Keith’s slacks. They were a pretty good and comfy fit for her. Keith hoped she didn’t just nick them after all was well and done.

‘You good?’ Hunk asked

‘Just peachy. Do you mind if I get a glass of water?’

‘Sure. Kitchen?’ Keith suggests

The kitchen itself wasn’t anything too fancy. It’s a kitchen. Nothing more, nothing less. The only thing of note is the few dirty dishes in the sink and a poster of a cat with a gun that no one’s bothered to take down.

Allura was standing to the side while Keith filled a glass of water and Hunk watched him.

‘Hey. You’re beautiful.’

Allura looked around, startled, and came to rest her eyes on a man who was leaning on the kitchen door frame, trying to look cool. He had a mullet of dark brown hair. His skin was tan and he was wearing a brown jacket with a blue jumper underneath. 

Allura gave him a confused glance. Keith and Hunk had turned to look.

‘Oh, hey Lance.’ Hunk nonchalantly replies.

‘Hey, Hunk.’

‘But anyway, how’s your day?’ He asks, finger guns pointing at Allura.

Allura looks back at Keith. He mouths ‘ _Let him down gently_ ’ to her.

  
  


‘I have a black belt in Judo. I can and _will_ break your kneecaps open.’ She said matter of factly while glaring at back at Lance.

Lance started to laugh. When her glare continued, the laugh became more awkward and died down.This led to an awkward silence

'I'm just gonna.. go now. If you need me... I'm the one to the right of Keith's door' He awkwardly mentioned, before darting off, presumably back to his room.

Allura stared at the empty space where he was standing as if he was still there as Keith approached her.

'Holy shit, Allura. I said let him down gently. Not put a gun to his family!' Keith cried

'Sorry. It's just that sometimes these self entitled plonkers come along demanding my attention and time.' She responded, looking at her feet. 'Guess I must've mistaken him for one.'

'Hey. It's fine.' Hunk told her. 'Let's just focus on the lunch part for now. I hope all that didn't spoil your apettite!'

'Not at all' Allura replied, with a smile. 'Anyway I was thinking burgers...'

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo, hopefully that wasn't too bad!
> 
> Next chapter will come out whenever I feel motivated to.


End file.
